See links to my articles below the fold.California's diverse landscapes and the variety of people fascinate me.

Here are highlights:

This picture taken at the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden is no more than 10 miles from the ocean; yet it looks like a meadow in the Rocky Mountains.Palm Springs with its nearly sea-level heat is an amazing contrast with the alpine forests at 8,500 feet, accessible with a 10-minute tram ride just a few miles from downtown.

Rolling hills in southern San Luis Obispo County have enough green in the spring to look like the rolling hills in my native western Pennsylvania.

The Central Coast beach towns are a world apart from the crowded beaches of Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego counties.

I link here to some of the travel articles I've written to let you discover my perspective on the state.

Although, the beauty of autumn colors back east is hard to surpass as seen in this picture of the Latrobe Reservoir in front of my dad's house.